Thyroid & Hormones

The thyroid is small, but when it runs too fast or too slow you can feel it everywhere. Studies here look for better ways to diagnose and treat it.

Close view of a person’s neck and collarbone in warm side light
  • Underactive thyroid
  • Overactive thyroid
  • Thyroid eye disease
  • Thyroid nodules
  • Adrenal conditions

What studies here look at

Some thyroid studies test whether a new medicine or a different dose of an existing one helps people who still feel unwell on standard treatment. Others look at overactive thyroid and at thyroid eye disease, which can make the eyes bulge, feel gritty or see double.

Research also covers lumps in the thyroid, testing ways to tell which ones need surgery, and conditions of the adrenal and pituitary glands, which are rarer and often have fewer studies open at once.

Who studies often look for

  • People on thyroid tablets who still feel tired or unwell

  • Adults with an overactive thyroid, including Graves’ disease

  • People whose eyes have changed because of their thyroid

  • Adults who have been told they have a thyroid nodule

Each study sets its own requirements. Read this as the people who tend to be asked, not as a checklist.

What taking part might involve

Four things studies in this area often ask of the people who take part.

  • Blood tests

    Thyroid levels checked regularly, often first thing in the morning.

  • A neck scan

    An ultrasound of the thyroid, which is painless and quick.

  • Eye checks

    For thyroid eye disease, measurements and photographs of the eyes.

  • Medicine timing

    Clear instructions on when to take tablets in relation to food and blood tests.

Questions for the study team

Take these to your first call, and note the answers.

  • Will my usual thyroid dose change, and who decides?
  • How often will my blood be checked?
  • If I feel worse, how quickly can I reach the team?

Hear about studies in this area

Sign up with Thyroid & Hormones as your area and your ZIP code, and we will text you when a study near you lines up.

Sign up for this area

See what is recruiting today

ClinicalTrials.gov is the public U.S. list of studies. This search shows recruiting studies for thyroid disease.

Open the registry search